Andrea Levy: Her Island Story
Andrea Levy's novel Small Island about the Windrush generation captured imaginations. imagine... finds out if the new adaptation of her book The Long Song follows suit.
When Andrea Levy's father Winston stepped off the Empire Windrush in July 1948, he had no idea that in time the ship's name would come to describe a group of people betrayed by the British government, or that his daughter would become the voice of that generation. Her best-selling novel Small Island, about the experiences of Jamaican families integrating into post-war Britain, captured the imaginations of readers around the world and picked up nearly every award going upon publication in 2004.
But Andrea's story goes much further back than Small Island. Her earlier books, like Every Light In The House Burnin' and Fruit of the Lemon, explored questions of hybrid identity, providing rich details of a divided Britain in the second half of the twentieth century along the way. And her most recent novel, The Long Song, traced these themes all the way back to 1830s Jamaica, where the abolition of slavery failed to solve the many iniquities of colonisation.
As Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ One prepares to broadcast a new adaptation of The Long Song, with an all-star cast, imagine... profiles Andrea Levy and the journey she has made to become one of Britain's best-loved contemporary novelists. From her childhood in a Highbury council flat to the creative writing classes where she discovered her talent, Andrea tells Alan Yentob about the power of literature to transform lives.
With contributors including Lenny Henry, David Oyelowo, Benedict Cumberbatch and rising star Tamara Lawrance, this is the moving account of one of the most powerful voices of our generation.
Last on
Clips
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Andrea returns to her school
Duration: 02:20
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Andrea at the British Library Windrush Exhibition
Duration: 02:06
Credits
Role | Contributor |
---|---|
Presenter | Alan Yentob |
Interviewed Guest | Andrea Levy |
Producer | John O'Rourke |
Director | John O'Rourke |
Executive Producer | Sue Jones |
Executive Producer | Nicolas Kent |
Executive Producer | Tanya Hudson |
Series Editor | Alan Yentob |
Broadcasts
- Wed 19 Dec 2018 22:45Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ One except Scotland, Scotland HD, Wales & Wales HD
- Wed 19 Dec 2018 23:15Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ One Scotland HD & Scotland only
- Wed 19 Dec 2018 23:40Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ One Wales HD & Wales only
- Sat 12 Jan 2019 00:10
- Mon 18 Feb 2019 22:45Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ One except Northern Ireland & Northern Ireland HD
- Mon 18 Feb 2019 23:40Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ One Northern Ireland & Northern Ireland HD only
- Tue 7 Jul 2020 22:55
- Sun 25 Oct 2020 23:35Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ One except Scotland & Scotland HD
- Mon 26 Oct 2020 00:50Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ One Scotland & Scotland HD only
- Wed 4 Oct 2023 00:10